PlayStation: From A to Z – The Letter “A”

The From A to Z series lets our editors go back and take a look at games from past generations that are classics, overlooked gems, or just titles they remember fondly. The idea behind this is to pick five games from each letter of the alphabet, once a week to showcase. This delivers 26 weeks and 130 games to talk about. Hopefully it sparks some conversation, and of course plenty of memories.

Our first series will focus on Sony’s first entry into the console business, the PlayStation.

Let’s start with the letter “A”.

Ace Combat 2

The Ace Combat series still exists today, but the first time it really clicked for me was the second entry. Not being a huge fan of flying games I was amazed how much fun this early PSOne title actually was, and it speaks volumes that it still manages to be around even today. Ace Combat 2 still remains my favorite in the series though.

Akuji the Heartless

The PSOne had a lot of character-action games, most of them forgettable. Akuji is one of those very titles, but for some reason it sticks out in my mind when I think of the system. The polygons look terrible today, and the premise is just absurd, but I still have fond memories of playing this title.

Alien Trilogy

Licensed games were mostly terrible on the PSOne. The exceptions though really stood out. This is one of two “Trilogy” games that came from Fox that really stuck in my head years after the systems died. This was one of the first FPS games I enjoyed on a console, and it still creeps me out to this day.

Alundra

PlayStation owners had clamored for a Zelda-type game for years before Alundra came along. This was the closest they ever got, and it was brilliant. Anyone who has never experienced this charming RPG owes it to themselves to go back and check it out.

Armored Core

Back when Armored Core debuted on the PSOne, it blew my mind. The customization, the amount of content. I was enthralled for months on end. This is the game that made me love From Software, and I wish the series was still interesting, but these original titles still hold a special place in my gaming memories.

Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of this hole in the wall and he loves to troll for the fun of it. He also enjoys long walks through Arkham Asylum and the cool air of Shadow Moses Island. His turn-ons include Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft.